JACKS TREK BACK TO FARGO FOR TWO DUALS

Sunday, February 7

Fargo, N.D.

11 a.m.

South Dakota State University

North Dakota State

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

2/5/2021 3:00:00 PM | Wrestling

Duals 9 & 10: South Dakota State (4-4 overall, 1-3 Big 12) at NDSU Triangular

When	Sunday, Feb. 7 11 a.m. vs. North Dakota State \| 1 p.m. vs. No. 12 Iowa State
Where	Scheels Center \| Fargo, North Dakota
TV	BEK-TV \| FloWrestling.org (subscription)
Radio	None
Live Stats	Trackwrestling.com
Match Notes	South Dakota State Notes \| North Dakota State Notes \| Iowa State Notes
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram \| #GetJacked

South Dakota State opens the home stretch of its dual season Sunday, wrestling a pair of Big 12 Conference opponents in a triangular in Fargo, North Dakota.

The Jackrabbits, 4-4 overall and 1-3 against Big 12 opponents, open the day with an 11 a.m. Border Bell dual against host North Dakota State. The Bison enter the matchup 4-2 overall and 2-1 in Big 12 duals after defeating Fresno State (29-15) and California Baptist (30-6) in action last weekend in Riverside, California.

The Border Bell is a 100-pound kettlebell painted in Bison green and Jackrabbit blue.

Both SDSU and NDSU are receiving votes in this week's NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll.

SDSU concludes the day with a 3 p.m. dual against 12th-ranked Iowa State. The Cyclones come into the weekend with a 6-2 overall dual record, including a 1-1 mark in the Big 12.

ISU wrestled three duals on Jan. 30, posting victories over Iowa Central (50-0) and Lindenwood (28-9), before dropping a one-point decision (15-16) to fifth-ranked Oklahoma State.

Video coverage of Sunday's triangular at Scheels Center on the NDSU campus will be available through FloWrestling.org (subscription required) and televised locally on BEK-TV.

The order of duals is as follows:

11 a.m. – South Dakota State at North Dakota State
1 p.m. – Iowa State at North Dakota State
3 p.m. – South Dakota State vs. Iowa State

Extra matches will be contested in between duals as time allows and following the conclusion of the final dual.

THE SERIES: Two of South Dakota State's oldest wrestling rivals are on the schedule this weekend as the Jackrabbits square off against North Dakota State and Iowa State.

Series vs. North Dakota State
South Dakota State and North Dakota State will meet for the 69th time in dual competition, when the two programs clash Sunday morning in Fargo. NDSU leads the all-time series between the two longtime rivals, 44-23-1, including a 14-5-1 advantage in the Division I era for both programs. The series began with a 22-9 Jackrabbit victory during the 1958-59 season.

NDSU has won the last three matchups, including a closely contested 21-13 victory earlier this season. In that Jan. 10 matchup at Frost Arena, NDSU won seven matches – all by decision – to down South Dakota State in the SDSU Tri-Dual finale.

The Jackrabbits led 7-3 through three matches behind a major decision by Zach Price and Clay Carlson's second victory of the day. Price tallied a 13-5 victory over Kellyn March, while Carlson followed with an 8-6 decision against Dylan Droegemueller.

North Dakota State countered by winning the next five bouts that included a 4-2 overtime decision in the 157-pound matchup by Jared Franek over Cade DeVos in a battle between wrestlers ranked 15th and 18th respectively.

Sloan kept the Jackrabbits' hopes alive with a third-period pin of Michael Nelson at 197 pounds that pulled SDSU to within 18-13 heading into the final match. In that final bout, 15th-ranked Brandon Metz of NDSU outlasted the Jackrabbits' Blake Wolters, 5-4, in a match that went to a pair of tiebreakers.

NDSU's seven victories were by a total of 11 points, with none of those matches decided by more than two points.

North Dakota State 21, South Dakota State 13 (Jan. 10, 2021 • at Frost Arena)
125: McGwire Midkiff (NDSU) dec. Tanner Jordan (SDSU), 3-1
133: #13 Zach Price (SDSU) major dec. Kellyn March (NDSU), 13-5
141: #22 Clay Carlson (SDSU) dec. Dylan Droegemueller (NDSU), 8-6
149: Jared Van Maanen (NDSU) dec. Hunter Marko (SDSU), 4-2
157: #15 Jared Franek (NDSU) dec. #18 Cade DeVos (SDSU), 4-2 [SV-1]
165: Austin Brenner (NDSU) dec. Colten Carlson (SDSU), 6-5
174: Luke Weber (NDSU) dec. Cade King (SDSU), 6-4
184: T.J. Pottinger (NDSU) dec. Nick Casperson (SDSU), 6-5
197: #10 Tanner Sloan (SDSU) def. Michael Nelson (NDSU), by fall 6:28
285: #15 Brandon Metz (NDSU) dec. Blake Wolters (SDSU), 5-4 [TB-2]
Note: Individual rankings by FloWrestling

Series vs. Iowa State
Sunday's dual against Iowa State will mark the 14th time the Jackrabbits and Cyclones have met in dual competition, a series that dates back to a 27-2 Iowa State victory during the 1951-52 season. ISU leads the all-time series, 11-2, winning the first nine matchups.

SDSU put together a modest two-match winning streak as it entered the Big 12 Conference, recording a 27-9 victory during the 2016-17 season, followed by a 30-15 triumph the next season. Both of the Jackrabbits' victories came on their home mat at Frost Arena.

Iowa State has claimed each of the past two duals, blanking the Jackrabbits, 47-0, during the 2018-19 season, while coming away with a 22-17 victory at Frost Arena a year ago.

SDSU jumped out to an early 8-0 lead in last season's dual on the strength of consecutive major decisions by Zach Carlson and Tanner Sloan at 184 and 197 pounds, respectively.

The Cyclones responded with four consecutive victories to take a 15-8 lead before Henry Pohlmeyer stemmed the tide for the Jackrabbits by notching a 1-0 decision over Ryan Leisure in the 149-pound bout.

SDSU pulled to within 19-17 heading into the final match of the night as Tanner Cook continued to rack up wins by fall. Cook trailed his 165-pound match against Chase Straw, 3-1, early in the third period before catching Straw in a takedown and putting his shoulders to the mat.

The dual was decided at 174 pounds, where 11th-ranked Sam Colbray pulled away in the third period for a 6-1 decision over Jackrabbit freshman Cade King.

#16 Iowa State 22, South Dakota State 17 (Jan. 17, 2020 • at Frost Arena)
184: #16 Zach Carlson (SDSU) major dec. #15 Marcus Coleman (ISU), 8-0
197: #20 Tanner Sloan (SDSU) major dec. Joel Shapiro (ISU), 10-2
285: #12 Gannon Gremmel (ISU) dec. Blake Wolters (SDSU), 4-3
125: #10 Alex Mackall (ISU) def. Danny Vega (SDSU), by fall 4:54
133: #17 Todd Small (ISU) dec. Zach Price (SDSU), 11-5
141: #7 Ian Parker (ISU) dec. Clay Carlson (SDSU), 8-2
149: #10 Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) dec. Ryan Leisure (ISU), 1-0
157: #3 David Carr (ISU) major dec. Colten Carlson (SDSU), 16-5
165: Tanner Cook (SDSU) def. Chase Straw (ISU), by fall 3:47
174: #11 Sam Colbray (ISU) dec. Cade King (SDSU), 6-1
Note: Individual rankings by FloWrestling

BIG 12 SUCCESS: Now in its sixth season as an affiliate member of the Big 12 Conference for wrestling, South Dakota State has proven it can contend in one of the top wrestling leagues in the country.

Since joining the league at the start of the 2015-16 season, the Jackrabbits have combined to post a 31-16 record (.660 winning percentage) in duals against Big 12 opponents, with seven of those losses coming during the 2018-19 campaign. SDSU posted an 8-0 mark in Big 12 duals during the 2017-18 season.

The Jackrabbits also turned in back-to-back third-place efforts at the Big 12 Wrestling Championship in both 2017 and 2018, after a fourth-place finish at their inaugural league meet in 2016. SDSU posted another fourth-place finish in 2020, improving six spots in the team standings from the previous season.

RABBITS RANKED: Five Jackrabbit wrestlers appear in this week's individual national rankings.

Sophomore 197-pounder Tanner Sloan leads the SDSU contingent as he continues his ascent in the polls this week to fourth place in the WIN Magazine rankings and sixth in the Intermat poll. Sloan also holds rankings of seventh by Trackwrestling and 11th from FloWrestling.

The Alburnett, Iowa, native is undefeated so far this season with a 10-0 record, winning five matches by technical fall and three by pin. Sloan is coming off a 2019-20 season in which he posted a 21-6 overall record and was an NCAA qualifier. He capped his first season in the lineup with an All-America selection by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.

Also ranked in all four of the aforementioned polls is sophomore 133-pounder Zach Price, who vaulted 10-plus spots in the Trackwrestling and FloWrestling polls after downing a pair of higher-ranked opponents on the opening weekend of competition. With a 5-2 record so far this season, Price currently holds a 12th-place ranking from WIN Magazine and is No. 17 in the Trackwrestling polls, followed by standings of 18th in the FloWrestling rankings and 20th with Intermat.

Sophomore Clay Carlson moved into the Intermat rankings this week at No. 19, a position he also holds in rankings by FloWrestling and Trackwrestling.

Meanwhile, redshirt freshman Cade DeVos continued to be ranked in the 157-pound division with showings of 16th by Trackwrestling and 19th by FloWrestling despite losses to a pair of higher-ranked opponents.

Moving back into the Trackwrestling rankings at 125 pounds this week was senior Danny Vega at No. 33. Vega carries a five-match winning streak into Sunday's triangular.

The Jackrabbits also cracked the team rankings for the first time this season, checking in at No. 23 in the Intermat dual rankings. SDSU also is among the team's receiving votes in the NWCA Division I Coaches Poll.

LAST WEEK: Ninth-ranked Tanner Sloan at 197 pounds, senior 165-pounder Colten Carlson and sophomore 174-pounder Cade King all posted 3-0 marks in dual action to lead South Dakota State to a pair of victories Jan. 31 at the Little Rock Quad.

The Jackrabbits opened the day by falling 21-13 to 22nd-ranked Oklahoma in a Big 12 Conference dual before rebounding with nonconference wins over 21st-ranked Stanford, 23-15, and host Little Rock, 28-10.

SDSU moved to 4-4 overall and 1-3 against Big 12 foes.

No. 22 Oklahoma 21, SDSU 13
The 22nd-ranked Sooners were stingy in the lower weights, building a 15-3 lead at the halfway mark before holding off SDSU. Oklahoma would go on to finish the day undefeated with a 3-0 record to improve to 5-3 in duals.

After the Jackrabbits' Danny Vega rallied for a 7-6 decision over Mason Naifeh in the opening bout of the dual, Oklahoma claimed the next four matches – all by ranked wrestlers – to build its cushion.

Anthony Madrigal, ranked 19th at 133 pounds, started the Sooners' streak with a pin of SDSU backup Trayton Anderson. Oklahoma then sandwiched a pair of wins over ranked Jackrabbit wrestlers around a 2-0 victory by 13th-ranked Mitch Moore over Hunter Marko in the 149-pound matchup. Seventh-ranked Dom Demas of OU squeaked past No. 22 Clay Carlson, 3-2, at 141 pounds, while 11th-ranked Justin Thomas of the Sooners notched a 4-0 decision over No. 18 Cade DeVos in the 157-pound bout.

SDSU began to find its footing in the second half of the dual as Colten Carlson started a comeback bid with a 23-11 major decision over Jake Stiles. The match was tied at 4-all entering the third period before Carlson turned on the offense with eight takedowns.

Cade King pulled off an upset for the Jackrabbits, recording a late takedown to post a 7-5 decision over 22nd-ranked Anthony Mantanona at 174 pounds.

Sloan notched the final Jackrabbit victory, downing 12th-ranked Jake Woodley, 6-1.

#22 Oklahoma 21, South Dakota State 13 (Jan. 31, 2021 • at Little Rock, Ark.)
125: Danny Vega (SDSU) dec. Mason Naifeh (OU), 7-6
133: #19 Anthony Madrigal (OU) def. Trayton Anderson (SDSU), by fall 2:40
141: #7 Dom Demas (OU) dec. #22 Clay Carlson, 3-2
149: #13 Mitch Moore (OU) dec. Hunter Marko (SDSU), 2-0
157: #11 Justin Thomas (OU) dec. #18 Cade DeVos (SDSU), 4-0
165: Colten Carlson (SDSU) major dec. Jake Stiles (OU), 23-11
174: Cade King (SDSU) dec. #22 Anthony Mantanona (OU), 7-5
184: Darrien Roberts (OU) dec. Jacob Schoon (SDSU), 7-5
197: #9 Tanner Sloan (SDSU) dec. #12 Jake Woodley (OU), 6-1
285: #24 Josh Heindselman (OU) dec. Blake Wolters (SDSU), 4-1 [TB-1]
Note: Rankings by FloWrestling

SDSU 23, No. 21 Stanford 15
Vega and Sloan each won by fall as the Jackrabbits turned in a 23-15 to defeat a ranked opponent for the first time this season.

A senior from Tucson, Arizona, Vega trailed 8-2 at the end of the first period to Jackson DiSario in their 125-pound matchup before turning the tables on his Cardinal opponent. Vega recorded a takedown late in the second period, which he later turned into a pin.

The Brothers Carlson – Clay and Colten – kept the Jackrabbits in the lead with major decisions at 141 and 165 pounds, respectively. Clay downed Luciano Arroyo, 19-6, while Colten put together another strong third period to defeat Charlie Darracott, 16-5.

King upped the SDSU advantage to 17-9 with a hard-fought 10-8 decision over Tyler Eischens at 174 pounds.

Sloan then capped the Jackrabbit scoring with a first-period pin of Nick Stemmet.

All five Stanford victories were by decision.

South Dakota State 23, #21 Stanford 15 (Jan. 31, 2021 • Little Rock, Ark.)
125: Danny Vega (SDSU) def. Jackson DiSario (STAN), by fall 5:34
133: Jason Miranda (STAN) dec. Trayton Anderson (SDSU), 6-0
141: #22 Clay Carlson (SDSU) major dec. Luciano Arroyo (STAN), 19-6
149: #14 Jaden Abas (STAN) dec. Hunter Marko (SDSU), 7-4
157: Requir Van der Merwe (STAN) dec. #18 Cade DeVos (SDSU), 3-2
165: Colten Carlson (SDSU) major dec. Charlie Darracott (STAN), 16-5
174: Cade King (SDSU) dec. Tyler Eischens (STAN),10-8
184: Nick Addison (STAN) dec. Jacob Schoon (SDSU), 5-2
197: #9 Tanner Sloan (SDSU) def. Nick Stemmet (STAN), by fall 2:52
285: Nathan Traxler (STAN) dec. Blake Wolters (SDSU), 8-2
Notes: Eischens ranked 22nd at 157 pounds, Traxler ranked 10th at 197 pounds for Stanford

SDSU 28, Little Rock 10
The Jackrabbits spotted Little Rock an early 7-0 lead before storming back to win their dual finale, 28-10.

Following Trojan victories at 125 and 133 pounds to open the dual, SDSU reeled off wins in the next seven matches to take control. Clay Carlson started the streak with a technical-fall victory at 141 pounds, while Hunter Marko and Cade DeVos each added wins by decision.

Three of the next four Jackrabbit wins were of the bonus-point variety as King (174) won by major decision and Colten Carlson (165) and Sloan (197) each won by technical fall. Nick Casperson came up with a flurry of points in the final 30 seconds to win an 8-1 decision in the 184-pound match.

Casperson added three victories in extra matches throughout the day to end the event with a team-best 4-0 mark.

South Dakota State 28, Little Rock 10 (Jan. 31, 2021 • at Little Rock, Ark.)
125: Khyler Brewer (LR) dec. Tanner Jordan (SDSU), 14-8
133: Paul Bianchi (LR) major dec. Trayton Anderson (SDSU), 15-5
141: #22 Clay Carlson (SDSU) tech. fall Conner Ward (LR), 21-6 [7:00]
149: Hunter Marko (SDSU) dec. Joseph Bianchi (LR), 6-2
157: #18 Cade DeVos (SDSU) dec. Kyle Prewitt (LR), 11-4
165: Colten Carlson (SDSU) tech. fall Alex Hernandez (LR), 17-1 [6:35]
174: Cade King (SDSU) major dec. Triston Wills (LR), 13-1
184: Nick Casperson (SDSU) dec. Tanner Mendoza (LR), 8-1
197: Tanner Sloan (SDSU) tech. fall Dylan Johnson (LR), 18-0 [2:22]
285: Gabe Beyer (LR) dec. Blake Wolters (SDSU), 6-4 [SV-1]

NEW FACILITY ON THE HORIZON: The South Dakota Board of Regents approved plans in December for South Dakota State University to move forward with a $4 million on-campus wrestling training facility.

The nearly 16,000-square-foot Kurtenbach Family Wrestling Center would be constructed on the southwest corner of the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex. Former SDSU wrestler and coach Frank Kurtenbach provided the lead gift for the facility, which will feature four competition mats, plus a strength and conditioning area, locker rooms, team room, coaches' offices and spaces for academics and nutrition.

"The approval from the Board of Regents to break ground on a state-of-the-art wrestling facility will forever change the landscape of SDSU Wrestling," SDSU head coach Damion Hahn said. "I can't thank our Jackrabbit family enough for the contributions that have been made toward this endeavor. I would like to make a special thank you to the Kurtenbach family for their vision and support of the project."

Pending final approval by the South Dakota Legislature, construction of the two-story structure is tentatively scheduled to begin in spring 2021.

COACH HAHN: Damion Hahn is overseeing a successful rebuilding of South Dakota State University wrestling as he is in his third season at the helm of the Jackrabbits' program. Hahn holds a 19-20 career dual record heading into the weekend.

During the 2019-20 season, the Jackrabbits returned to the winning side of the ledger in dual competition by posting a 12-6 overall record, including a 6-3 mark in the Big 12. Included in the dual victories were wins over nationally ranked Northern Iowa and Stanford.

SDSU also improved by six spots in the Big 12 Conference Wrestling Championship, finishing fourth in the team standings at the 2020 competition. Four Jackrabbit wrestlers earned automatic qualifying berths in the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, with another
receiving a bid as an alternate. The NCAA Championships were later canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the National Wrestling Coaches Association selected 149-pounder Henry Pohlmeyer, 184-pounder Zach Carlson and 197-pounder Tanner Sloan as second-team All-Americans.

In his first season at SDSU, Hahn faced a rebuilding task as the Jackrabbits featured new starters in six spots in the lineup. SDSU finished with a 3-10 dual mark, including a 2-7 record against Big 12 foes. Pohlmeyer was the lone NCAA qualifier.

Hahn was hired at SDSU on April 9, 2018, following more than a decade of success as a member of the coaching staff at Cornell (N.Y.).

"Damion represents everything we are looking for in being able to take our wrestling program to the next level," said SDSU Director of Athletics Justin Sell in announcing the hire. "His success both as a collegiate wrestler and coach, along with his ability to recruit high-achieving student-athletes on and off the mat, made him the ideal candidate. He is a tremendous ambassador for the sport who will work tirelessly to ensure wrestling thrives both on our campus and across the country."

Hahn spent 12 years as an assistant coach and later the associate head coach at Cornell in Ithaca, New York. During his tenure, the Big Red recorded 11 top-10 team finishes at the NCAA Championships, including consecutive runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2011. He
mentored 50 All-Americans, 12 of whom were individual NCAA champions. Cornell also won 12 straight Ivy League dual championships and 11 consecutive Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association team titles.

In accepting his first head coaching position, Hahn made a return to the Midwest. As a collegiate wrestler at Minnesota, Hahn won NCAA individual national titles as a junior and senior. A four-time All-American, he also was a three-time Big 10 individual champion and was named the Jesse Owens Big 10 Male Athlete of the Year in 2004. The Golden Gophers won team NCAA championships during both his freshman and sophomore seasons. He finished his collegiate career with a 118-21 record.

Hahn was inducted into the University of Minnesota's M Club Hall of Fame in 2018.

THE ROSTER: The 2020-21 SDSU wrestling roster features 30 student-athletes from 12 different states. Of the 30 wrestlers, eight are from Iowa, followed by seven from Minnesota and five native South Dakotans. Two Jackrabbit wrestlers hail from Wisconsin, while eight states — Arizona, California, Missouri, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Texas and Washington — each are represented by one wrestler.

By class, four are seniors, three are juniors, 10 are sophomores, eight are redshirt freshmen and five are incoming freshmen.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits are scheduled to wrap up dual competition by hosting a multi-team event Feb. 13 at Frost Arena. SDSU is slated to wrestle Utah Valley at 11 a.m., followed by a rematch with Air Force at 1 p.m. North Dakota State also will be competing in the event, which will feature a number of extra matches throughout the day.

A full schedule of matches is as follows:
11 a.m. — Utah Valley at SDSU; Air Force vs. North Dakota State
1 p.m. — Air Force at SDSU; Utah Valley vs. North Dakota State
3 p.m. — Air Force vs. Utah Valley

-GoJacks.com-